My Journey to a FIRE Lifestyle Pinterest

My Journey to a FIRE Lifestyle

It wasn’t until I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad that I started to believe in the possibility of a FIRE lifestyle (financial independence, retire early).

It was as if a whole new world of possibility had suddenly opened itself up, though I was certainly skeptical of it, at least initially.

Like many others, I’d always believed that a fulfilling life meant a regular 9-5 job, a house with a white picket fence, and a herd of children. It didn’t occur to me before then that there were other ways to live. I’d always believed you had to work hard to earn a reasonable income.

It wouldn’t be until years later that I would begin pursuing a FIRE lifestyle. I wouldn’t even hear “FIRE” spoken as a financial freedom phrase until nearly a decade after I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

In this article, I’ll tell you how I began my journey to a FIRE lifestyle, some key lessons I learned along the way, and where the rest of my journey is headed.

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How I Made a Successful Career Switch Pinterest

How I Made a Successful Career Switch

My career switch began when I started my first business in 2017, but it wasn’t until 2019 that I shifted from a full-time laboratory manager role into a marketing communications role.

To be truthful, it was a tough transition to make, but then again, I’ve never heard of a career switch being perfectly smooth.

Despite the challenge, I knew that the career change was right for me.

In this article, I’ll tell you exactly how I made my career switch. I’ll also share 7 tips from my own learning experiences. These tips will help you make your own career switch, regardless of where you start in your career or where you’d like to end up.

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I Turned One of My Side Gigs Into a Full-Time Career Here’s How + 5 Tips for Success Pinterest

I Turned One of My Side Gigs Into a Full-Time Career: Here’s How + 5 Tips for Success

In 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, I turned one of my side gigs into a full-time job. It wasn’t easy, but with hard work, some great support, and even a bit of luck, I managed to replace my income in short order.

I was one of the numerous people that found themselves without a job when COVID shut the world down.

It was tough, but I committed to finding a way forward. I was confident that I would find a way to replace my income.

In this article, I’m going to tell you how I turned one of my side gigs into a full-time job, and how I managed to replace my income when I suddenly found myself jobless in the middle of the pandemic.

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How We Annihilated $85K of Student Debt in 18 Months Pinterest

How We Annihilated $85K of Student Debt in 18 Months

As I sat down in our tax accountant’s office, I looked down at the piece of paper I was holding in my hands. It was an important document that reflected what I’d paid in interest toward my student debt that year. 

I couldn’t believe the figure in front of my face, yet it was right there. 

In just one year, I’d paid roughly $3,000 of interest into my student loans. And that was only the interest for one year. It didn’t account for the amount I’d paid into the principal balances, or what my husband had paid into his student loans either. 

That $3,000 was all I was allowed to write off on our taxes.

I had just paid what accounted for a nice cruise vacation into my student debt interest, and it didn’t even help lower the balance. I would have rathered spent the money on that vacation instead, but here I was, holding the piece of paper that proved I’d done otherwise. 

That money was gone, wasted.

I shook my head before I handed the document over to the accountant.

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My Chronic Career Journey How I Built a Successful Career While Navigating Crohn’s Disease Pinterest

My Chronic Career Journey: How I Built a Successful Career While Navigating Crohn’s Disease

After I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, I feared I’d never be able to build a successful career, and it was a dream that greatly mattered to me.

After my diagnosis, it was hard to face the reality that I would likely live with a chronic illness for the rest of my life.

While I didn’t give up on my dreams, I knew that my plans would need to shift, at least to some degree.

When I was young I dreamed of becoming an astronaut. I went to college with that intent and by the time I graduated, I’d become quite familiar with astronaut requirements.

The requirements were strict and incredibly difficult to overcome, even for someone in perfect health, so I knew my chances of becoming an astronaut were essentially 0.

However, I knew I could still become a scientist, and I dreamed of building a successful career and making a difference through science.

As you’ll soon learn, my career didn’t go exactly as planned, and I never foresaw making a shift like I would eventually make, but I did manage to build a successful career. In this article, I’m going to tell you exactly what I did to build my career while managing Crohn’s disease.

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Tips for Chronic Illness and Mental Health 10 Activities to Conquer Stress and Enhance Wellbeing Pinterest

Tips for Chronic Illness and Mental Health: 10 Activities to Conquer Stress and Enhance Wellbeing

It can be hard to balance a chronic illness and mental health.

After all, health issues can take a serious toll. And if stress aggravates your symptoms, then you might find yourself in a brutal cycle of declining mental health that then impacts your chronic illness. If you’ve managed to avoid this vicious cycle, trust me, it isn’t fun.

Both your physical and mental health matter, but it’s often challenging to manage them in the stressful world we live in. Life happens, and before you know it your health becomes the last priority.

It’s easy to let things slide, but it comes with dire consequences when you have a chronic illness. It’s important to take the time your chronic illness and mental health need to improve your well-being.

If you’re hoping to get your health back on the right track then you’re in the right place. In this article, I’m going to share 10 activities that can support your chronic illness and mental health.

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Investing 101 for the Chronically Ambitious a FIRE Quest for Success Pinterest

Investing 101 for the Chronically Ambitious: a FIRE Quest for Success

Investing 101 Introduction: A Pathway to Financial Freedom

It’s tough to balance a chronic illness with life demands, but somehow life finds a way.

(I know, I know. That was a terrible place for a classic Jurassic Park quote, but somehow it’s still fitting.)

In reality, you’re a warrior: a chronic illness warrior. Somehow, you do it all, and you and I know that life is tough even WITHOUT having to balance a chronic illness.

I get it, the last thing on your mind is probably your investing strategy. You have 1,000 doctor’s appointments, and you can’t quite remember when you last took your meds…

Speaking of which, I forgot to take mine. Hang on…

Where were we? Ah, yeah…

Your chronic illness takes a beating on you, and sometimes it’s incessant and unending. Sometimes your dreams feel impossible, especially when simply getting out of bed feels like you completed a marathon.

Yes, there are days when it’s a struggle, and there will be days when you feel like giving up. It’s totally understandable, and you absolutely deserve grace. 

You also deserve success, and success doesn’t get handed to any of us. You have to fight for it.

What does this have to do with investing 101, you might wonder? Keep reading on and you’ll find out.

In this investing 101 article, I’m going to provide you with 5 tips you can use to build a successful investing strategy, even as you balance the demands of your chronic illness.

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10 Tips to Enhance Your Professional Development While You Balance a Chronic Illness

10 Tips to Enhance Your Professional Development While You Balance a Chronic Illness

If professional development matters to you and you’re balancing a chronic illness, you’re in the right place.

It’s not easy to balance a chronic illness with your professional pursuits, but if career advancement matters to you then it’s important to consider your professional development.

So how do you balance your professional and health needs? It’s not an easy balance to achieve, and if you’re anything like me, then you probably have to make frequent adjustments on your journey.

You don’t need to sacrifice your health or your career, but achieving that balance is essential if you dream of advancing your career.

In this article, you’ll get 10 tips you can use on your professional development journey so that you can better balance your chronic illness and your career goals.

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Fire Your Side Hustle With These 10 Tips Achieve Balance and Overcome Chronic Illness Challenge Pinterest

Fire Your Side Hustle With These 10 Tips: Achieve Balance and Overcome Chronic Illness Challenge

If you’ve already started a side hustle, or if you’re considering starting one, then you know how difficult it can be to balance your health with your pursuits (personal, professional, or otherwise).

You might even be trying to balance a career on top of it, which might be a challenging act, one you may find is often out of sync.

But what if you want to grow a side hustle to a full-time gig? Perhaps your small business brings passion to your life in a way that your day job can’t, in which case you may dream of doing more with it.

It can seem daunting to turn your side hustle into your full-time career, but it’s definitely possible. With careful planning and execution, you can grow your business while still managing your chronic illness.

In this article, I’m going to give you 10 tips you can use to grow your side hustle into a full-time business while balancing the demands of your chronic illness.

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Your Employer Denied Your Reasonable Accommodation Request. Now What 7 Steps You Can Take to Achieve a Better Resolution Pinterest

Your Employer Denied Your Reasonable Accommodation Request. Now What? 7 Steps You Can Take to Achieve a Better Resolution

If you’ve already made a reasonable accommodation request from your employer, then good work! It’s tough to even have the guts to speak up about what you need (I speak from experience).

Ideally, your employer will approve your request outright, however, there is a chance that they may deny it. The law compels your employer to approve your request, assuming it follows ADA guidelines.

However, your employer may deny your request for one of the following reasons:

  1. They have fewer than 15 employees and/or can prove the request causes an undue hardship
  2. They are unfamiliar with ADA laws
  3. Your request has nothing to do with a disability

Whether you’ve already made your request, or you’re preparing for what could happen if your request is denied, this article will give you 7 steps you can use to achieve a better resolution if your reasonable accommodation request is denied.

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